LISLE, Ill. (BVM) — Benedictine University’s Rajin (Raj) Bains got into playing soccer when he was 9 years old. His father was born and raised in Wolverhampton, England. Coming from a place with so much enthusiasm for soccer, it was only natural that he shared his love for the sport with his children. 

“Everyone can play soccer, parents aren’t worried about their child getting injured too badly,” Bains noted as his reason for getting into the sport.

Bains started playing soccer for the Tri-Cities Soccer Association in St. Charles, Ill. Eventually, at the age of 13, he began to pursue the sport more seriously and started playing club soccer for Campton United. There he developed his skills further and gained the ability to play any position necessary on the field.

During his senior year at St. Charles East High School, Bains was team captain of the school’s varsity soccer team. Attila Schmidt, his coach from high school, was the old men’s soccer head coach for BenU. As a result, Schmidt was able to assist Bains with his recruiting process onto the university team. 

At the start of his career at BenU, Bains played as a defender but currently plays as a center midfielder. Bains’ ability to play several positions with confidence allows him to be moved around to wherever necessary during games.

Bains ended up at Benedictine University because of his older siblings who also attended the university.

“It’s kind of like a tradition,” Bains laughed. 

His older brother was on the track team for BenU for a year and his sister is not much of a sports person. Similar to his siblings, Bains’ main focus during his time at BenU is his education.

Bains is a senior majoring in biology and computer science. He started off as a biology major, wanting to pursue dentistry. After taking a few computer science classes, he fell in love with the subject. 

Bains decided to add an extra year to his college career in order to graduate with the full degree. After graduating, Bains wants to pursue a technology job in the medicine field. He hopes to use his technology skills to make the medical field more accurate and helpful.

Though Bains wants to focus more on his education than soccer, he is grateful that he can still play. It is an impressive feat that Bains can juggle both his schooling and athletic pursuits, especially considering how difficult getting a single STEM degree is. Bains is attempting to receive two while playing soccer.

Benedictine University prides itself on ensuring that student athletes can be the best students and athletes that they can be. Professors will work with athletes outside of class hours and coaches will allow athletes to miss chunks of practice for exams when necessary.

Bains remarks he’s happy with his contribution to the team. He isn’t eager to be better than anyone else and only looks to outcompete himself. 

“Usually, you know if you’re good,” Bains said. “You know when you know you can make it in the big leagues. These people are breaking records when they are 16 years old. That’s not me and that’s okay.” 

As a result, Bains focuses more on school and is happy to be put into games whenever possible.

The most impressive feat of an athlete isn’t how many goals are scored or balls are saved, it’s the ability to understand how much you can realistically achieve and being content with your abilities. Bains loves to play soccer and his performance on the field proves it. 

“I just like to play soccer,” Bains asserted. 

Bains is the reality for many athletes and his passion for the sport is honorable.

Benedictine University is a perfect environment for someone like Bains. BenU men’s soccer places just the right amount of pressure on Bains to grow as an athlete. After scoring his first goal of his career against Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) on Sept. 29, Bains started to gain more confidence in his performance. BenU won that game against IIT 2-0. 

“It just made me want to push myself more,” Bains said.

During BenU’s most recent game against Rockford University, Bains attempted to score a goal three times. 

“It made me realize that I can do more,” Bains added. 

He realized that he actually likes to shoot and get goals for his team. He wants to be more aggressive on the field. Rather than simply accepting his abilities, Bains continues to push past them and become the best athlete he can be.

Bains’ willingness to continue to improve is remarkable and shows great athleticism. His head coach, Spencer Pappas, seems to be gaining more confidence in Bains’ abilities as well. In their game against Milwaukee School of Engineering, Bains started as a defender.

This season is Pappas’ first season with the team. The Eagles have had to adjust to playing during Covid alongside a new coach learning how to guide them. Bains commented on the new coach’s abilities with excitement. 

“[He] really tries to get to know us as people,” Bains said. 

The extra care and attention the team is getting has shown in the Eagles’ performance their past few games. They are currently on a winning streak after coming out victorious in their past 5 games.

For athletes like Bains, simply having the ability to play soccer is something to look forward to. There is no need to compete with anyone other than themselves as long as they are happy with their abilities. Considering the disparity in young athletes who want to play professionally and earn jobs in the field, it’s important for these athletes to still find ways to play and feed their passion for the sport.

The Benedictine University men’s soccer team will go up against Wisconsin Lutheran College on Wednesday Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. CST on senior night where Bains will likely be starting at defender.

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